A whimsically crafted picnic table.
(Editor’s Note: This post is a re-write of a column I originally shared in 2025. Over the past four years, my wife Kathleen and I have been caring for family elders. In the last two years it has become a full-time responsibility. As a result, I’ve been unable to return to Desert Rose Ranch to follow through with my original plan of creating a two- or three-part series. Paul is such a wonderful storyteller, and there is so much more to photograph and learn at the ranch — one post simply doesn’t do it justice. With the recent passing of one of our family elders, it will likely be some time before I can make it back up there.)
This photo shows the area where people can venture down the slope to see if there is any gold to be found. Background: Occidental Grade.
Paul and Amanda, a devoted husband-and-wife team, own and operate Desert Rose Ranch.
According to their official website (desert-rose-ranch.com), which was recently updated, they are open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In a joint statement on their website, they said, “We built our small ranch on top of the overburden piles from the Ward Mine which operated in the late 1800s. ... We’re looking forward to sharing all of the fun on the Ranch with you!”
From atop the mine piles, visitors enjoy priceless vistas of the serene Carson River Watershed and the majestic, purple-hued Sierra Nevada peaks in the distance.
Amanda and Paul have transformed the property into a welcoming haven complete with ample parking, open picnic areas and endless family friendly adventures.
“All donkeys but our Mammoth Jack Donkey have been adopted from the Bureau of Land Management, gentled and trained to pull wagons,” according to their website. “We have a smooth path that meanders around the ranch that our donkeys pull a wagon on. This is a safe, contained space to experience a wagon ride with your family and learn a little about donkeys, wagons and the Ward Mine that is also on the property.”
Amanda with Big Ben Franklin, the gentle giant Mammoth Jack donkey at Desert Rose Ranch.
Nearby are chickens, rabbits, and really friendly goats, along with pigs.
“All of our farmyard animals were adopted, rescued or donated and provided a safe and loving existence here at the Ranch,” they noted. “All of our small barn animals were born and/or raised around people and are very gentle. There is an intimate small barn corral where the pigs, goats, chickens and bunnies enjoy being petted and fed. The animals like to be petted and fed to each person’s comfort level.”
That corral is the perfect place for anyone of any age to interact with traditional farm and ranch animals.
Goats and other animals can be interacted with at Desert Rose Ranch in Gold Hill, Nev.
“We are located on a mountain of old mine tailings and overburden piles that contain quartz crystals, placer gold and a vast assortment of other rocks and minerals,” according to their website. “We provide a small kit, rock identifier map of the Ranch and instructions on how to prospect on the ranch. It is self-guided and we are bordered on all sides by BLM land so you have an unlimited area to explore. It is not hard to find assorted minerals including gold but it does take some intention and patience but it does pay off. Yes, gold is found and yes you get to keep all that you find.”
Placer gold is naturally occurring gold eroded from its original hard rock source through weathering, water flow, or glacial action and deposited in loose sediments.
When I was there, and just after a train had passed by, Paul found a piece of ore with some gold and with some type of specialized magnifying glass, showed us gold. When I dug into my pockets and showed him some rocks I found along Six Mile Canyon that I had gathered, he looked at them and said there were specks of gold in them. I sent them to my grandsons.
This is not the larger V&T train that goes from Carson City to Virginia City, but it's just as fun.
I’ve journeyed back to where I found the original rocks and gathered some more. On the way back to Carson City on those few times, I have almost stopped at Desert Rose Ranch to see if Paul could use a special magnifier he has that allows an expert to see if there is gold in the rock. For another day, God-willing.
While there last year, Paul told stories of the mines, shafts and Comstock history.
He described the intense efforts of the late 1800s when miners sank deep shafts into the earth in search of silver and gold beneath the Comstock Lode. He spoke of the lasting physical legacy visible in the tailings piles and overburden that now form the foundation of the ranch itself. He spoke of all the tunnels under Virginia City. I was mesmerized.
These historical stories connected the present-day visitor experience directly to the rich industrial heritage of Silver City, Gold Hill and Virginia City, painting a vivid picture of an era when fortune-seekers from around the world converged on these hills.
Paul's Julia Bulette sculpture at The Cider House at Canvas Cafe.
I have covered small communities for years as a journalist (now retired), and something like Desert Rose Ranch is truly a one-off. Local schools would be wise to tour it, if they don’t already.
It really is a Comstock treasure.
In addition to ranch operations, Paul is a talented woodcarver who carved the beautiful wooden sculpture of Julia Bulette at the The Cider House at Canvas Café. You may view some of his sculptures on his Instagram page.
Desert Rose Ranch wagons at the ready.